Lessons from Ladies that UX London — Journeys into leadership
Ladies that UX (LTUX), the welcoming community I have been part of since the start of my career hosted a brilliant event last November, the best I’ve seen in the last eight years. It is also where I met one of my first managers, the wonderful Sophie Mitchell. Coincidentally this month is also LTUX’s 10th birthday. And it’s International Women’s Day so it seems timely, nay — I felt compelled to celebrate some of the best women leaders in the industry.
Penny Rance was a lively host to a panel of four speakers — Remya Ramesh from Meta, Benny Zuffolini from Pearson, Jessica Richards from Workhuman and Steph Marques from Bernadette. There was a participatory element too — the audience was invited to submit anonymous questions on a Slido poll which worked well. I loved how the psychological safety built into that Q&A mechanism enabled more provoking questions.
Overall, what struck me about the event was the humility, generosity and quiet confidence of the speakers, despite them being very different from each other in background and experience. The difference in atmosphere compared to a mixed gender or male dominated event was palpable. The audience was so engaged (or like me, furiously taking notes) in absorbing the pearls of wisdom shared by the speakers; the concentration levels were so high, you could hear a pin drop.
Here are my five highlights from the panellists, and my reflections in hindsight.
1. On navigating politics
“Rather than navigating politics I prefer to call it investing in social capital.”
Ramesh suggested reframing dealing with office politics as an opportunity (social currency) to build external and internal relationships. I can attest to this. As awkward and intimidating as it feels (especially as a neurodivergent like myself who is not naturally a people person), it pays to get curious about the people around you and wider stakeholders. And for most people, there is nothing sweeter than the sound of their own voice as you spend time listening to them (read servant leadership) — which leads to better stakeholder engagement and buy-in.
Reframing the narrative of politics into opportunities also helps reduce duplication of effort. By taking time to understand the landscape you are operating in, you see the bigger picture including other activities already underway and the responsibilities of other individuals — which makes the efforts you are trying to embed more effective.
Building on top of that, Marques shared the importance of a leader “being someone people want to work with”. This is less about being popular but more the ability to inspire; getting people excited about the future or a domain you’re passionate about. Which is why you don’t necessarily need to be a (people) manager or have decades of seniority to be a “leader”. Leaders should manage upwards as well as downwards; get senior leadership and the people around you excited about a problem you have that they want to sponsor or be part of solving.
2. On the future of design teams and AI
Ramesh shared her thoughts on the changing landscape of design and how roles may change in the face of AI. She sees a growing demand for a role that is a mix of IC and leading teams. The trend of design teams becoming leaner in tough economic climates is one I’ve heard of before (Recruiter Tom Scott talks a lot on this subject), but I don’t know enough about the market to comment on this meaningfully.
With AI, there is a lot of coverage on developments and speculation on how it might replace, change or create roles in the design and insights industry. The pace of innovation is fast, in my view it is vital to be part of the change now in experimenting and learning what it can do, identifying use cases. For example, time consuming analysis or repetitive tasks with limited risks and human-in-the-loop are prime opportunities for AI disruption, evidenced by tools like AI notetakers.
Design teams however are always changing. Ramesh said, “First team principles affect how your team changes, so managing upwards and managing team velocity is crucial”.
I had to Google what “First team principles” meant. Leadership coach Vanessa Ribreau summarises,
“The “First Team Mindset” encourages leaders and team members to prioritize the collective goals of their immediate “first team” — often the senior leadership team — over those of their department. This mindset fosters cross-functional collaboration and aligns everyone toward achieving overarching organizational objectives, which in turn drives performance and competitiveness.”
From this I recognised the role I play in supporting and managing my team day-to-day on project delivery, whilst giving my leadership peers confidence on progress, identifying new opportunities for growth and making my team look good.
3. On saying no and letting go
Both Ramesh and Richards touched on the importance of saying no and knowing when to let go as a critical leadership trait. There are certain factors that should make that decision easier, for example Ramesh advised, “you should be learning or earning”. Richards added that her previous experience has taught her that it’s easier to make ruthless decisions to leave a chaotic job as a contractor.
This is something I am personally getting to grips with, and there are multiple dimensions to it, from being pragmatic by acting on the greater good (choosing the “hills to die on”), to ensuring I am sticking to and not betraying my personal values. It is a hard and delicate balance. I have been on the brink of leaving toxic projects that I have turned into great developmental opportunities. I have also learned that I cannot do everything I used to as a hands-on IC and be an effective leader. I must delegate and serve to be a team enabler and multiplier. Zuffolini’s quote “If you protect everyone, they don’t learn” resonated with me. I have learned to be more patient and give people space to figure out what they need to do.
Digital transformation director Audree Fletcher wrote a brilliant post recently on the power of saying no. She says,
“Leadership isn’t doing everything…You need to get really good at saying no…..and at accepting that you can’t please everyone so your choice is really who you’re going to disappoint — don’t let it be yourself.”
Since I have been more exposed to different stakeholders and colleagues as design lead, I am finding myself involved in more difficult conversations that can be stressful to deal with. Marques recommends equipping yourself with frameworks like non-violent communication to build empathy for others and facilitate mutually beneficial outcomes. I have taken this approach in challenging conversations with senior colleagues and in some cases it has transformed our relationship for the better.
4. On supporting wellbeing and diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Ramesh pointed out challenges in self-care as a leader, and the importance of using your voice to call out non-inclusive behaviour. It is our responsibility to create a safe environment for our colleagues. I couldn’t agree more.
Psychological safety is earned and not a given. It needs regular focus and intention to maintain, as once trust is broken, it’s hard to repair. In my teams we run “Manual of me”, “Anxiety parties” and “Lifeline” workshops as well as regular team building activities like retrospectives. These provide dedicated spaces for people to share work preferences, as little or as much as they feel comfortable about themselves and voice any concerns we can address as a group. The little things count too, such as using in-built “hands up” functions in Teams calls to ensure everyone has a chance to speak, and creating space for lesser heard voices to share their views.
Richards brought up the difficulties and taboos of working while pregnant, the importance of learning about the impact of menopause and awareness of other health conditions to support and have constructive conversations with colleagues. She added, “No manager can know every life event”. It’s ok not to know everything.
5. On investing in yourself
Zuffolini shared her growth from investing in a work coach,
“I learned to understand that behind every ‘bad decision’ there are probably many reasons that might not be shared. For example, if there were no budgets. I had to re-learn what I was proud of and celebrate the small wins.”
As her career progressed she began managing large teams of managers and described how she adapted her leadership style to different people.
She advocated having your own personal values and standing by them. For example, she values collaboration and clear communication over delivery on time or quality, to ensure the long-term value of the team. As a fellow neurodivergent, she felt there were lots of ways to socialise and prove value whilst being yourself. For many introverts in the audience, this was reassuring to hear.
Investing in a work or life coach is something I can recommend to anyone to get clarity and an outside perspective on your career direction. I have previously worked with Liz Citron and Summie Yeung who are awesome.
I hope these musing were useful or interesting to you.
Finally, I want to thank LTUX again for hosting a fantastic event, the speakers and all the inspiring women I have met, worked with and learned from throughout my career.
Originally posted on LinkedIn.
This is the first in a series of articles dedicated to transitioning into leadership as an individual contributor (IC) practitioner, learning from other leaders (spoiler: you don’t need to be a manager to be a leader!) and from the intersectional perspective as a neurodivergent woman of colour.
